boredom

Everyone’s got bad habits, especially in the digital age, working on online platforms. We know them and despite knowing the consequences of tagging them along, we always find ourselves struggling to stop them. Why stop them? It’s fun to binge-watch Netflix, to browse Instagram and Facebook all day long, or to go online shopping at late hours. In addition, you may be forced to check your email periodically throughout the day.

It is not easy to get rid of these harmful online habits, but it is possible. Actually, most of the things we do each day are not out of a decision we have made. They are something that has become a habit. We just find ourselves doing things that we would otherwise not do because they were not in the plan. If you want to get out of this, here are 6 ways to beat bad online habits.

“Don’t take pictures mama – push my swing?“, my two-year old quietly asked when we were visiting the playground recently. Now I had given her my undivided attention all morning until that point. Still, my daughter’s message hit home: stop looking at your screen and enjoy what’s happening right in front of you. Experience … Read more >

Have you ever heard of the Happiness Ratio? Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson found that we need 3 positive emotions for every negative 1 to stay emotionally healthy. That’s easier said than done when you’re chronically ill and your days are filled with painful symptoms, doctor’s visits and social isolation.

Fortunately, there are two things you can do to boost your mood: do more things you enjoy or make the things you do more enjoyable. How? By purposely sprinkling simple pleasures throughout your day.

As it happens, happiness research also suggests that when it comes to happiness, frequency beats intensity. In other words: you don’t have to tick audacious goals off your bucket list in order to feel good; savoring tiny moments of bliss will do.

To do that, you could make a list of 31 little things that make you happy and actively try to do one of those simple pleasures every day. Here are some ideas to get you started:

“The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

When you feel so sick you can barely lift your head from the pillow, you just want to get through the day in one piece.

But as you’re slowly getting better, your mind might crave some distraction, even though your body is still too weak to do much.

That’s when the boredom creeps in.

Sure, catching up on your Netflix queue is fun at first. But when you find yourself refreshing your social media feed every 5 minutes because the only other option is staring at the ceiling, it’s time for some entertainment!

Finding fun activities to do when you’re sick at home alone may seem like a luxury problem, but it can actually have a bigger impact on your wellbeing than you might realise. Studies have shown that you need 3 positive emotions to make up for every negative one – and there’s no lack of unpleasant experiences when you’re (chronically) ill.

So keep your happiness ratio up and fight the boredom with these 28 enjoyable ways to pass the time.

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About me

I’m a psychologist living with chronic illness. I want to help you feel as energetic, symptom-free and happy as possible, by showing you how to create lasting health habits and by giving you advice on how to cope with (chronic) health problems.